Bellairs Workshop on Causality

The development of foundation models, particularly large language models (LLMs), has attracted a flurry of research activity in machine learning. From the lens of causality, it is perplexing to see models that generalize well to all kinds of settings and even domains. What is it that these models learn that grants them this flexibility? Beyond that, causal inference, the science of acting based on data, is gaining relevance to these research directions. In fact, LLMs are now being used as reasoning engines in agents that act in the real world. How can we trust these agents to plan correctly when they are trained only on observational data from the Internet? Are they even able to foresee the effect of actions? The intersection of causality and foundation models remains largely unexplored. This workshop aims to explore this intersection, considering what the field of causality can contribute to these research directions and how recent advancements in foundation models can benefit the field of causality.

This is a sequel to the 2022, 2023, and 2024 workshops.

Guidelines for open questions
As our focus for this workshop is the development of new ideas and collaborations, we have planned the workshop activities so that a significant portion of the program is reserved for discussions around thought-provoking questions and open problems. For these discussion periods to be more animated and fruitful, we ask that participants bring with them the ideas that excite them and the questions that they would like to see addressed by the community. During these discussion sessions, every participant will have the opportunity to briefly present their questions and discussions on possible solutions or avenues for their resolution will follow.

The workshop will take place from February 14th to February 21, 2025. Participants are expected to arrive on Friday, February 15th. Sessions will start early the next morning (Saturday) and the last session will be held on the evening of February 20th. Each day will consist of morning lectures on relevant topics (9:00-12:00), afternoons will be left open for collaboration and discussion, and evenings will be reserved for collaborative work towards open problems (7:00 pm - exhaustion).

Venue The workshop will be held at the Bellairs Research Institute of McGill University in Barbados, which provides the perfect environment for bringing together a small group of people in a quiet and casual setting. See it on the map.

Airport arrival Bellairs is about a 40 minute drive from the airport, and as many participants land around the same time on the same date, it often makes sense to share a taxi to the institute. To get to the institute, you can pick a taxi outside of the baggage claim area at BGI airport. If the driver does not know where the Bellairs institute is (they usually do), tell them it is beside Folkestone Marine Park in Holetown. Alternatively, we would be happy to arrange your transportation from the airport to Bellairs by booking a driver in advance, who will be waiting for you at the arrivals exit of BGI near the other taxis. To opt-in to this option, you need to indicate this on the Arrival Spreadsheet (please check your email for the link). In all cases, please bring enough USD or BBD to pay for the trip. Many taxis do not accept card payments.

Arriving at Bellairs The premises are protected by a gate for which you will receive the password a few days in advance. Once you arrive, you will find your room assignments and get the key from a key box for which we will also communicate a password a few days in advance.

IMPORTANT: If you arrive or depart outside of the workshop dates (February 14-21), you need to book your own accommodation. It might be possible that Bellairs has available rooms for you to stay at during this period, but you must contact Bellairs directly to book your accommodation outside the workshop dates. We cannot guarantee availability outside the dates assigned to our group.

Accommodation The Bellairs research institute is located right on the beach in the Folkestone Marine Park. The facilities are minimalistic, but comfortable, and the beach is right outside the door. Given the limited number of rooms available, most participants will need to be paired. To get a sense of the premises, check out the Bellairs website or take a look at the pictures from last year.

Meals Buffet-style meals will be available on the first morning for breakfast and every day for dinner. These will be served in the outdoor classroom from 8-9 am and 6-7 pm, respectively. You will be charged for these according to the number of nights you spend at Bellairs. For the subsequent breakfasts, we will buy groceries based on the preferences of participants, and the amount will be included in the registration fee. Lunch is on your own. There are plenty of options nearby and we usually walk somewhere as a group.

What to bring In terms of clothing, you should take into consideration that the lecture hall is outdoors and that the weather will be quite hot. Do not forget to bring your bathing suit, beach towel, and snorkeling equipment since Bellairs is located right in front of a coral reef. You should also bring soap, shampoo, sunscreen, and mosquito repellent. Bringing ear plugs is also a good idea if you are a light sleeper as there can be noise from the nearby road or park in the morning.

Currency Currency: The local currency is the Barbadian Dollar (BBD), but you can pay in USD everywhere (1 USD ~ 2 BBD). You can pay by credit card almost everywhere, but it’s safe to carry cash. In fact, it is encouraged to bring some cash with you as many places (e.g. food carts and taxis) do not take payments with cards.